Best Handheld Console of All-Time

[areaseven]

Here's one for the handheld gaming fans. Which is your favorite portable gaming console?

[1st Border Red Devil]

Heh....

I voted Game Boy cause I dont own any others.

[Black Valkyrie]

The GBA because of it`s huge game list since 1989 [the normal GB] plus you can play these games on TV before with Super GB and now GB-Player but IMO I prefere Neo Geo Pocket for one main reason the screen is more clearer and than the GBA, to bad no body really supported it, only in Japan but a few third parties. As I remember many companies wanted to develop games for it in the last moment when SNK cancelled the NPG, I had one but I sold it after the announcement but sometimes I regreat selling it

[SkullLeaderVF-X]

I'v seen this portale NES, that's about the size of a sega nomad more or less. It's pretty cool.

[yellowlightman]

Bandai Wonderswan! Woo-hoo! It's all about Gundam games and Final Fantasy. Yeah!!

<_<

I voted for the original Gameboy, loved that thing to death. Been holding off on getting a GBA, although Nintendo's making it hard by making all their good multiplayer games for GC require the GBA, which is kinda messed up.

But the only hand held system I actually play anymore is the Wonderswan. I have a ton of games I bought for cheap in Japan. Who says an 800¥ baseball game can't be fun?

[zorprimal]

There were actually other portable systems out there?

If I didn't pick the GBA SP, I'd pick Wonderswan. When they introduced Final Fantasy Origins for the PSOne, I learned that graphically, they were direct ports from the Wonderswan edition

[Druna Skass]

Does a laptop count?

[Yoshi]

Bandai Wonderswan !

This system has quantity of great games, especially in the RPG/Strategy field: the Final Fantasy, Gundam, Super Robot Taisen, SD G Generation series... I'm still enjoying this system and its games, I'm currently replaying Monoeyes Gundam to get the missing events (got 61 out of 63 so far ).

I really like the Wonderswan, too bad it got killed by the GBA. Now we're stuck with a hand held monopoly

Edited October 5, 2003 by Yoshi

[Abombz!!]

Bandai Wonderswan !

This system has quantity of great games, especially in the RPG/Strategy field: the Final Fantasy, Gundam, Super Robot Taisen, SD G Generation series... I'm still enjoying this system and its games, I'm currently replaying Monoeyes Gundam to get the missing events (got 61 out of 63 so far ).

I really like the Wonderswan, too bad it got killed by the GBA. Now we're stuck with a hand held monopoly

The GBA didn't kill the Wonderswam... it was Bandai unwillingless to market it outside Japan. Not only that but other then Bandai, only Square seemed to be interested in making games for it. <_<

[GodMedia]

I voted for the NEC TurboExpress. I had one of these for a long time and it was great. It played the same HuCards that were used in the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 home consoles. Amazing graphics and gameplay for a dual-8-bit system, far superior to any of the systems of it's day (i.e. Famicom and SMS).

It's always sad to me to see that such great systems go largely unknown by American fans in the post-Robotech era.

Edited October 5, 2003 by GodMedia

[KingNor]

first place, OTHER: my laptop with SNES emulator on it.

nothing like playing FF3 on the fly.

secondplace is gameboy/gameboyadvance.

[bob joe mac]

How come the Wonderswan/ WS color isn't there? I mean you have all these totally unheard of things but no WS? Well The WS was a great system while it may not have had the GBA graphics it had great games and still prettty good graphics. The GBA is not really that good. I mean the only games that I like or it are the new lufia game and Pokemon most the other games are just poor ports from the SNES to the GBA *Cough**Donkey Kong Country*Cough* *Prehistorik man* *Cough*

[Anubis]

GBA. Great handheld, and they have, and are, porting a lot of my SNES favorites to it.

[Ladic]

I liked the Turbo Express.

[BoBe-Patt]

I voted for the gameboy advance only because it's lasted for so long and I enjoy playing some of the games on it. I did however liked the turbo express, but I couldn't afford it back then and none of my friends had it. I only liked the atari lynx for one game, ninja gaiden. It was actually accurate with the arcade which was awesome!

[Abombz!!]

How come the Wonderswan/ WS color isn't there? I mean you have all these totally unheard of things but no WS? Well The WS was a great system while it may not have had the GBA graphics it had great games and still prettty good graphics. The GBA is not really that good. I mean the only games that I like or it are the new lufia game and Pokemon most the other games are just poor ports from the SNES to the GBA *Cough**Donkey Kong Country*Cough* *Prehistorik man* *Cough*

Then I can safely say you haven't really looked around enough. The GBA has plenty of good ports and good original games.

[Isamu Atreides 86]

My PDA. cause it can look like i'm working, but really playing a game....

[Macloacas]

Swan Crystal!

wonder swan new version is my pick, great selection of games, especially the Saint seiya Rpg

[yellowlightman]

Bandai Wonderswan !

This system has quantity of great games, especially in the RPG/Strategy field: the Final Fantasy, Gundam, Super Robot Taisen, SD G Generation series... I'm still enjoying this system and its games, I'm currently replaying Monoeyes Gundam to get the missing events (got 61 out of 63 so far ).

I really like the Wonderswan, too bad it got killed by the GBA. Now we're stuck with a hand held monopoly

Hey Yoshi, have you played Giren's Greed yet for the Wonderswan? I loved the original game for Saturn/PS1/DC/PS2 but the WS game looks pretty different, and I haven't been able to find any comments about it.

[Yohsho]

The good ol' GB I played Tetris for like hours and killed soooo many batteries, then I got an adapter. <_< The GBA is getting into my good books now that I've found out that FF tatics you can fight other ppl's armies with a link cable.

[StealthLurker]

Either the GBA or SEGA Nomad. Anybody try the PC-Engine emulator on a GameParc handheld? The idea of running emulators on it sounds attractive.

[niomosy]

Probably the Sega Nomad. It had the Sega Genesis library to chose from plus had 6 buttons for games like Street Fighter and such. Sounds like a winner to me! Now if I only had one...

Right now I've got a GBA and it's pretty good. I've never been a huge fan of the Nintendo handhelds, though. A lack of a backlit screen is annoying as hell. I wish they'd brought the SP out in the first place as I don't really want to bother buying another GBA just to have the backlit screen. Damn Nintendo

Also had a Sega Game Gear in the past. A better system than the Game Boy, definitely. Shame that I lost the GG when my car was stolen Had the SMS adapter for it to play some of the old SMS games that I had.

I'm curious to see what happens with Sony's possible handheld system.

[yellowlightman]

Either the GBA or SEGA Nomad. Anybody try the PC-Engine emulator on a GameParc handheld? The idea of running emulators on it sounds attractive.

The GP32 seems like a really interesting handheld. Official support is lacking, no question about it. But the amount of emulators and homemade games for it make it very unique. Seems a bit expensive from what i've seen (around ~$200) but I suppose since you can download so many games for it... it isn't so bad.

[Jemstone]

Come on, A7. I think the GBA is kind of a runaway hit being it's backwards compatible and Nintendo has pretty much owned the handheld market.

[mikeszekely]

Little know secret: you can do emulation on the GBA. I made one GBA "game" that was Megaman 1-6. Good times.

Naturally, I went GBA SP. You get all the games of the Gameboy/GB Pocket/GB Color days (minus Kirby's Tilt and Tumble, which I can live without). Then you get all the great GBA games like the Castlevanias, Megaman Zero, Megaman and Bass, and the rest. To top it off, you get a nice folding design, front lit screen, and a rechargable lithium ion battery. Good deal!

[Jemstone]

Little know secret: you can do emulation on the GBA.  I made one GBA "game" that was Megaman 1-6.  Good times.

Not really. That's how I got Metroid Fusion long before it was released. Unfortunately I haven't seen any of those kits (and I don't mean the e-reader like some may think) on the market anymore. Did Nintendo make some kind of injunction against them? Lan Kwei even took them off his site.

Edited October 6, 2003 by Jemstone

[gerwalk25]

I voted Turbo Xpress! It has all what you want in a handheld system; Backwards compatibility with home console, TV tuner and a great selection of games at your disposal! I want my old one back!

~G25

[VF-17]

I voted other. I'm having really high hopes for the Nokia N-Gage. From everything that I've read on it, this thing is gonna rock!!!! Pretty soon..... ah yes..... time to save pennies.

[mikeszekely]

I voted other. I'm having really high hopes for the Nokia N-Gage. From everything that I've read on it, this thing is gonna rock!!!! Pretty soon..... ah yes..... time to save pennies.

You are kidding, right?

[mikeszekely]

Little know secret: you can do emulation on the GBA.  I made one GBA "game" that was Megaman 1-6.  Good times.

Not really. That's how I got Metroid Fusion long before it was released. Unfortunately I haven't seen any of those kits (and I don't mean the e-reader like some may think) on the market anymore. Did Nintendo make some kind of injunction against them? Lan Kwei even took them off his site.

It's also how I've been playing Rockman Zero 2 while I wait for the US release. But, what I meant was that there are emulator programs out there for the GBA, too, and I'm not talking about the kind that let you play GBA games on the PC. I mean the kind that let you play NES and what not on the GBA.

Nintendo sued Lik Sang. Lik Sang stopped selling the kits for the time being, but filed a counter suit. Their arguement is that the kits are legitimate development tools, very similar to the ones Nintendo uses themselves, and that the kits themselves are not illegal. They argued that it's unfair to punish them because other people flash GBA roms to them, which is illegal. Kind of like needles aren't illegal, just using them for illegal drugs, and when you have a problem with junkies, you don't sue the needle makers.

Anyway, that's the last I heard of it. There are still places out there that sell them, though. Since this forum really isn't the place to be discussing things like that, I'd say to just to a search for it on Google.

[Abombz!!]

I voted other. I'm having really high hopes for the Nokia N-Gage. From everything that I've read on it, this thing is gonna rock!!!! Pretty soon..... ah yes..... time to save pennies.

You got to be kidding me.

[Jemstone]

Little know secret: you can do emulation on the GBA.  I made one GBA "game" that was Megaman 1-6.  Good times.

Not really. That's how I got Metroid Fusion long before it was released. Unfortunately I haven't seen any of those kits (and I don't mean the e-reader like some may think) on the market anymore. Did Nintendo make some kind of injunction against them? Lan Kwei even took them off his site.

It's also how I've been playing Rockman Zero 2 while I wait for the US release. But, what I meant was that there are emulator programs out there for the GBA, too, and I'm not talking about the kind that let you play GBA games on the PC. I mean the kind that let you play NES and what not on the GBA.

I know. For a while I was determined to make my GBA a mini NES and SNES. Very tricky to set up the SNES games due to the lack on control buttons.

Nintendo sued Lik Sang.  Lik Sang stopped selling the kits for the time being, but filed a counter suit.  Their arguement is that the kits are legitimate development tools, very similar to the ones Nintendo uses themselves, and that the kits themselves are not illegal.  They argued that it's unfair to punish them because other people flash GBA roms to them, which is illegal.  Kind of like needles aren't illegal, just using them for illegal drugs, and when you have a problem with junkies, you don't sue the needle makers.

Anyway, that's the last I heard of it.  There are still places out there that sell them, though.  Since this forum really isn't the place to be discussing things like that, I'd say to just to a search for it on Google.

That's what I figured. Thanks for the details. I'm not looking to buy one as I already have one. Just wondering why they seemingly vanished off the market.

[niomosy]

I voted other. I'm having really high hopes for the Nokia N-Gage. From everything that I've read on it, this thing is gonna rock!!!! Pretty soon..... ah yes..... time to save pennies.

Let me see. Yes, I want to have to remove my battery in order to change games

[Hoptimus]

I love my GBA SP dont get me wrong but my Neo Geo Pocket Color gets the most play time. Killer screen,great games,and a great design.

PS the N-Gauge is gonna tank so hard. That thing is garbage.

[rsvictor1976]

I'd have to go with the Gameboy Advance/SP. Another portable that was great was the SEGA Nomad.